Benchlands homeless encampment expected to move by end of the month

The benchlands homeless encampment is expected to be moving in the next few weeks, a bit behind schedule.

As we’ve reported before, the encampment behind the county building on Ocean Street has been growing over the past few months.

Now the city is expected to move it to a location off of River Street. The city says it will most likely be moved by the end of this month, but that’s something most people we spoke with at the benchlands don’t like the idea of.

“It’s not gonna work at all,” says one person living at the Benchlands.

“Well I just found out about moving it on the other side of highway one over there, I really don’t like it.”

Some people living at the benchlands say the new location is too remote.

“It’s more confined, razor wire, it’s like being incarcerated so we have to deal with that in its own way but we’re gonna see what’s gonna happen from there,” says Gary “Chief” who lives in the benchlands.

The lot at 1220 River Street was originally going to be used for a storage space program for the homeless community but Brent Adams with the warming center program says the city backed out of that plan to use the area as a new encampment instead.

This is something Adams hopes will be completed soon for the sake of those living in the benchlands.

“What we saw with the last rain this was actually pulled up to 6 inches, 8 inches in some places. So people were literally submerged, I mean their belongings were submerged,” says Adams.

Adams says the new space could have room for more than 40 individuals.

“Depending on how you organize it I think ideally ten by ten squares and a community space and a food preparation space that would be 40 people, I think they’re going to try to put more people in that.”

The city’s original plan was to have the new encampment open in the next few days, but city officials say its going to take at least until the end of this month. They tell KION they are still working out some logistics.